Our Organization

Interim Director, Division of Disease Control & Health Protection

Jennifer Bencie, M.D., M.S.A.

In August 2009, Jennifer Bencie became the Administrator of the Manatee County Health Department, Florida Department of Health.  She oversees a staff of 140, and a $10 million budget.  The agency is involved in many community projects including worksite wellness, pediatric and overseas travel immunizations and environmental health monitoring.  Dr. Bencie previously served as the Director, Division of Emergency Medical Operations for the Florida Department of Health in Tallahassee.  The Division is comprised of the four Offices of Public Health Preparedness, Emergency Operations, Trauma and Injury Prevention, as well as the Bureau of EMS and the Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program.  Including the CDC and ASPR federal grants, the division budget is approximately $200 million.

Dr. Bencie is the former Administrator, Seminole County Health Department, (Sanford, FL) as well as Health /Medical Co-chair for the Region 5 Domestic Security Task Force, comprising nine counties in central Florida.  Jennifer has also served as Acting Director, Miami-Dade County Health Department, Assistant Director, Orange County (Orlando, FL) Health Department and Assistant Professor, Florida State University College of Medicine.  Dr. Bencie has also been a member of numerous national bioterrorism committees, such as NACCHO (National Association of County/City Health Officials) and the US Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate and the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Homeland Security Research Center, and as well as local organizations including the Bradenton Kiwanis, United Way, Arts and Health Coalition, Suncoast Workforce and Manatee County Medical Society.

Prior to her years of service with the Florida Department of Health, Dr. Bencie was an assistant director at the Medical College of Georgia Hospital and Clinics.  She received her undergraduate degree from Brown University, her medical degree from UAG, Mexico and her master's degree in health administration from Central Michigan University at Fort Gordon, Georgia.

Chief, Bureau of Communicable Disease

Vacant

Chief, Bureau of Environmental Health

Patti Anderson, P.E.

Patti Anderson is a professional engineer that has been working in the environmental engineering field for over 30 years.  She has worked for private consulting as a design and operations engineer for water and wastewater treatment systems and in the public sector in the management of the operations and maintenance of water and wastewater systems.  Since 2008, she has worked for the Florida Department of Health applying her experience and knowledge about efficient and effective organizational and personnel management, budget development and control management, customer service and practical application of science for public health protection.

In 2012, she was appointed as the Chief for the Bureau of Environmental Health in the Division of Disease Control and Health Protection. She has management oversight responsibility for the implementation of the environmental health programs such as drinking water and recreational water programs, onsite sewage program and facility programs including biomedical waste, food hygiene, body piercing, tanning, tattooing, group care, migrant labor housing, mobile home parks The Bureau provides training, policy and guidance development as well as rulemaking and subject matter expert consultation services to Florida's 67 county healthy departments for environmental health program areas.

Patti has a Bachelor of Science degree in Bacteriology and a Master of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Florida.

Acting Chief, Bureau of Epidemiology

Mary Hilton